Chicken-brooder.



PATENTBD NOV. 13, 1906.

C. F. SNOVEIL CHICKEN BROODBR. APPLIUATION FILED APR.27.1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES:

INVENIOR- ATTORNEY THE NORRIS PETERS 5a., wAsmNnrau, n. c.

PATENTBD NOV. 13, 1906.

C. F. SNOVER.

CHICKEN BROODER.

APPLIGATION EILBD APB..27.1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

S I T A WITNESSES:

0/ I I l-NVENTOR I I v I WATTORNEY CHARLES FRED SNOVER, SAGINAl/V, MICHIGAN,

CHICKEN-BROODER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 27, 1905. Serial No. 257.628.

Patented Nov. 13, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES FRED SNo- VER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Saginaw, in the county of Saginaw and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chicken-Brooders; and I do hereb declare the following to be a full, clear, an exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This is a chicken-brooder; and the improvements consist in certain constructions and arrangements and the equivalents thereof whereby I attain the objects of my invention.

These objects are, first, to produce a chicken-brooder that will impart a mild and uniform heat to all parts of the brood-chamber, to efficiently ventilate the chamber, and to provide a hover-cloth that will not only inclose the chicks, but will also serve as a flexible cover under which they may creep, the hover-cloth being of such form that it will rest upon the backs of the chicks, it being found in practice that chicks are quieter and less subject to nervousness when they are protected by a flexible warm covering that presses lightly down upon their backs.

With these and certain other objects in view, which will be further explained in the specification, my invention consists in the devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective sectional elevation, broken away in parts, showing the improvements. Fig. 2 is a sectional detail of the air-heating chamber; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the sliding lamp-rest. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail through the air-heating chamber. Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken through the brooder,- and Fig. 6 is a detail view, broken away, of the pivoted arm 5.

As is clearly shown in the drawings, the device consists in the usual lamp-compartment 1, above which is a compartment 2, containing the air-heating chamber, and above the compartment 2 is the brood-chamber 3. The bottom of the lamp-chamber is provided with a sliding lamp-support 1, having a window 1 in its upright end, and an oblique mirror 1, arranged below the window, by which the condition of the lamp-flame can be inspected from without the brooder without withdrawing the lamp.

To produce an even and mild heat and to properly ventilate the brood-chamber 3, I provide in the heating-compartment 2 an air-heating device. (Illustrated in detail in Figs. 2 and 4.) The oflice of this air-heating device is to deliver into the hover above fresh warm air required for the chicks. Its construction is as follows:

3 is the wooden floor of the brood-chamber 3, and the floor has an opening located centrally of the chamber to receive the warmair stack 4 of the air-heater. Beneath the floor 3 and between it and the top 4 of the air-heating chamber 4 is inserted a sheet of asbestos 3 to prevent overheating the floor. The bottom of the chamber 4 is higher in the middle than at the circumference, forming an annular space 4 around the central portion. Into this annular space extends two or more air-supply pipes 4, communicating with the outside air. The lamp 1 is placed beneath the center of the chamber 4, and a baffle-plate 4 is provided just above the lamp-chimney to prevent overheating the central part of the bottom of the chamber to diffuse the heat. Air taken through the pipes 4 flows over the raised bottom of the chamber and passes up through the stack 4 into the brood-chamber 3.

The hover, which is removable, is located in the chamber 3. It consists in a coverplate 5, secured to a ivoted arm 5*, and occupies the center 0 the chamber 3. The cover-plate 5, which is secured to and carried by the pivoted arm 5 is supported in position by reason of the fact thatthe reticulated bottom 6 of the diffusiomchamber 6 rests upon the cylindrical guard 10, hereinafter referred to. To the under side of the cover 5 is secured a diffusion-chamber 6, the object of which is to diffuse the warm air received from the stack 4 and to permit it to gradually filter down through the screened bottom of chamber 6 to the brood-space beneath. The bottom of chamber 6 is preferably formed of fine-wire mesh or coarse fabric 6 through which the air is filtered, and it is provided .with a suitable moisture-cup 6 the diaphragm 6 being made removable in any suitable manner. I

With this device no draft can strike the chicks, for all air passing from the warm-air pipe 4 to the brood-chamber must pass through the diaphragm 6 forming the bottom of chamber 6, and is thereby slowly filtered and uniformly distributed throughout the area of the brood-chamber.

Around the periphery of the cover 5 is suspended a curtain 7, and inclosed by the curtain is the hover-cloth 8, which is bag-shaped in section, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, and forms an annular ring suspended from the cover 5. The object in making the hovercloth circular, as shown, is for the purpose of alfordin plenty of room for the chicks. It is well rnown that in brooders heretofore used the chicks will crowd together beneath the hover for warmth, the stronger chicks burrowing or piling under the weaker chicks until finally the lower or bottommost chicks are smothered by those above. This is particularly so when a bag-shaped hover is provided, and I avoid this disadvantage by making my hover annular, so that the chicks will gather in a ring beneath instead of in a p e.

An automatic thermostat 8 of any suitable construction is provided inside the hover-cloth 8 to open and close the air-vent 9, communicating with the brood area 6, so that the surplus of hot air may be discharged from the brood area To prevent the chicks from hovering too close to the pipe 4* and being thereby injured by crowding, I provide a cylindrical guard 10 around the pipe 4 as shown in Fig. 4. This guard may be formed in whole or in part of reticulated or other suitable material.

When it is desired to examine the chicks, the entire brood area may be uncovered by raising the cover 5 by means of the pivoted arm 5*. The brood-chamber 3 and the eX- ercise and feeding chamber C may be provided with windows D D or other suitable means to permit the inspection and ventilation of the chambers.

A thermometer X is preferably carried by the cover 5,the thermometer passing through the cover between the hover 8 and the cylindrical guard 10, the upper end of the thermometer projecting above the cover to permit it to be inspected.

To carry off the lamp-fumes from chamber 1, I provide a flue 1", connecting the chamber with the outside air, whereby the heat of the fumes is used to warm the exercise and feeding chamber C.

' By the means above described I have produced a brooder simple in construction, easy to clean and inspect, and so arranged that uneven heating or overheating of the broodchamber is avoided and constant circulation of warm fresh air therethrough is maintained. It will be observed that the fumes from the lamp cannot gain access to the brood-chamher and that the brood-chamber is so arranged that the hover incloses a free space wherein the chicks may gather.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In a brooder, the combination with a lamp-chamber, a brood-chamber, an annular dead-air chamber interposed between the lamp and brood chambers, an air-heating chamber surrounded by the dead-air chamber, pipes leading through the dead-air chamber, to sup ly fresh air to the air-heating ch amber, a dome projecting into the air-heating chamber from the lamp-chamber to form an annular passage in the air-heating chamber, with which passage the pipes communicate, a stack projecting from the air-heating chamber, into the brood-chamber, a erforated guard surrounding the stack, a -iover surrounding the guard, the hover corn rising a pivotally-supported cover, a d1 usionchamber carried thereby and receiving the upper end of the stack, the diffuslon-chamber provided with a removable reticulated bottom, an annular bag-like hover depending from the cover, and surrounding the diffusionchamber to leave a clear space therebeneath, an air-moisteni ig means carried by the diffusion-chamber, an air-outlet means located between the diffusion-chamber and the baglike hover, and automatic means controlling said outlet.

2. The combination in a brooder, with a I brood-chamber, and a lamp-chamber, of a dead-air chamber, interposed between the two, an air-heat n chamber surrounded by the dead-air cham er, and having an annular channel, pipes leading across the dead-air chamber for conducting fresh. air to the airheating chamber, and means for conveying the fresh heated air to the brood-chamber.

3. In a brooder, the combination with a lamp-chamber and a brood-chamber, of a dead-air chamber interposed therebetween, an air-heating chamber surrounded by-the dead-air chamber, means for conveyin fresh air across the dead-air chamber to the airheating chamber, a dome projecting from the lamp-cha1nber into the air-heating chamber beneath the brooder-chamber andmeans for %onvey1ng the heated air to the brood-cham- 4. In a brooder, the combination with a brood-chamber, of an air-heating chamber, a stack projecting into the brood-- chamber from the air-heating chamber, a stationary perforated guard surrounding the stack and a hover removably surrounding the guard.

5. In a brooder, the combination with an air-heating chamber, a brood-chamber, and means for conveying the warm air from the air-heating chamber into the brood-chamber, of a hover and an arm pivotally secured at one end to the wall of the brood-ch amber, the opposite end of the arm carrying the hover.

6. In a brooder, the combination with a brood-chamber and means for heating the same, of a stack conveying the warm air into the brood-chamber, a hover surrounding the stack, said hover comprising an elevated diffusion-chamber into which the stack discharges, a diffusion means removably carried by and forming the bottom of the diffusion-chamber, and an annular bag-shaped hover member, surrounding the diffusionchamber and lying outside thereof to leave a free unobstructed space beneath the diit'usion-chamber and surrounded by the bagshaped hover.

7. In a brooder, the combination with a brood-chamber and a stack for conveying fresh warm air thereto, of a diffusion-chamber located above the floor of the brooderchamber into which the stack discharges, a removable difiusion member forming the bottom of the diffusion-chamber, a bag-shaped hover member surrounding the periphery of the diffusion-chamber to leave a free unobstructed spacetherebeneath, wherein the warm air is discharged, and allowed to pass out beneath the hover member and an airmoistening means located within the diflusion-chamber.

8. In a brooder, the combination with a,

brood-chamber and a stack for conveying fresh warm air thereto, of a diffusion-chamber located above the floor of the brooderchamber into which the stack discharges, a removable diffusion member forming the bottom of the diffusion-chamber, a bag-shaped hover member surrounding the periphery of the diffusion-chamber to leave a free unobstructed space therebeneath wherein the warm air is discharged and allowed to pass out beneath the hover member, an air-discharge means located outside the diffusionchamber and between the latter and the hover member, and means for controlling the discharge of warm air from the space surrounded by the hover member.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES FRED SNOVER.

Witnesses:

A. A. EASTERLY, RoY WALLIS. 

